Innholdsfortegnelse for Jul/Aug 2018 i Bicycling South Africa

I SOMETIMES CATCH MYSELF STARING AT MY BIKES. I’ll put a bike up against a wall, stand back for a minute, and just… stare at it. THE LINES, THE ANGLES OF THE JOINS, THE BEAUTY OF THE GUMWALL TYRES, THE ANGLE OF THE STEM IN RELATION TO THE TOP TUBE… It’s not easy to define quite what it is that makes a bike so beautiful and worth staring at. PERHAPS IT’S THE COMPLETE PACKAGE? PERHAPS IT’S THE KNOWLEDGE THAT THIS MARVELLOUS MACHINE HAS TAKEN ME TO SO MANY FAR-OFF PLACES UNDER MY OWN STEAM? // Quite simply, I love bikes; and perhaps I have too many. I HAVE A MODERN CARBON ROAD BIKE, A CLASSIC 80’S STEEL-FRAME, A DUAL-SUSPENSION MTB, A HARDTAIL, AND…

Determine your maximum heart rate, as near as possible – you are most likely to see it in a race or hard group ride. Never use the ‘220-minusage’ or any other formula. Set 75% of your maximum as your target average, BUT: limit deviations from this 75% by 10 beats in either direction. Here’s an example: ∆ Maximum heart rate 177 ∆75% of 177 = 133 ∆ During your ride, train between 123 minimum and 143 maximum You must pedal the flats and downs, and go super-slowly uphill; you will need to trust that this method will stimulate and build your aerobic energy metabolism capacity. And that’s what will make you fast.…

Shimano are not always first t0 market, but they always deliver on quality. Their recently released new XTR 12-speed MTB groupset is a fine example of the time they have taken to deliver a product that’s been designed to work across a range of disciplines and abilities. The new wide-range cassette allows for versality, and riders can choose from cassettes that go from racy 10-45T configurations, to 10-51T for trail riding and heavier or less fit riders who need more low-range gears. Included with the new XTR are upgraded two- or four-piston disc brakes, a new hub, and redesigned brake and lever mounts that also includes a dropper-post lever. PRICES TO BE CONFIRMED COOLHEAT.CO.ZA…

When you’re riding straight, the main force you feel is gravity, says Tim Chartier, a professor of applied mathematics at North Carolina’s Davidson College. But when you enter a curve, centripetal force is introduced, pulling you towards the centre of the turn. The formula for centripetal force is shown above: It increases with greater speeds (v) or tighter turns (smaller r). We lean the bike to counteract these forces and stay upright. Why leaning feels fun: “We experience force and our counter force, similar to being on a rollercoaster,” says Chartier. “There’s joy in feeling the calculus.”…

1 MAKE YOUR MISTAKES EARLY APPLY THE LESSIONS LATER. I have a habit of getting lobster-level sunburnt in the first week of each summer. The consequential pain and the parental admonitions regarding the threat of skin cancer are an annual reminder of the importance of looking after myself. Unconsciously, I believe, we must have applied the same general theory to riding the Tour Aotearoa. That is, to completely forget ourselves, and make as many novice errors in the first couple of days as possible; the ramifications of which would remind us of some of the most important lessons of bikepacking. The tactical choices for the first day of the Tour Aotearoa are important. Almost 90km of the first 100km is on New Zealand’s longest beach; and the far north being…

Having ridden and tested many Treks in the past, we’ve come to expect bucketloads of innovative technology from the brand; and the Fuel EX doesn’t disappoint – it’s dripping with it. The Knock Block steering stop system, the proprietary RE:aktiv shock valving from Formula 1 racing cars, and the Thru Shaft suspension design are just some of the new technologies, while the proven ABP pivot design, geometry-adjust flip chip and simple yet effective single-pivot suspension are old friends. From this list there are two features on the Trek worth examining in deeper detail, as we believe they separate the bike from the rest of the pack, with tangible on-trail performance-enhancing benefits for all riders: the ABP rear pivot system, and the combined shock technologies of Thru Shaft and RE:aktiv. ABP…

“I Zillow cute houses I see for sale on rides.” – Caitlin Giddings, test editor “HRV4Training allows me to track my heart rate variability and log how I’m feeling, and it calculates how hard I should ride that day.” – M.H. “Trailforks! I can easily find and navigate trails anywhere I go.” – Daniel Sapp, contributing writer “PauseCam stitches together video snippets of your ride for a quick highlight reel.” – Riley Missel, assistant features editor…

COST: As a general rule, Kili mountain-bike trips are more expensive than hiking trips, as Kilimanjaro National Park charges an additional bike permit fee for every bike on the mountain. HEALTH ISSUES: Every biker is allocated one porter – to assist with the bike, should they develop health issues, and in case of any possible emergency during the summit attempt. HOW MUCH OF THE ROUTE CAN I CYCLE? It depends on your fitness levels, experience and capability, and on the weather conditions. These are rough estimates of what is rideable: Kilema gate to Horombo hut – 100% Horombo hut to Kibo hut – 70% Kibo hut to Uhuru peak – 0% Uhuru peak to Kibo hut – 15% Kibo hut to Horombo hut – 100% (last section…

Bubbly American Kate Courtney and her Danish partner Annika Langvad dominated the women’s event at this year’s ABSA Cape Epic. It was the first time the 21-year-old American had participated in the Epic, but she seemed more than capable of hanging with her more experienced World Champion teammate. A regular on the World Cup circuit, Courtney is used to riding flat out for just over 90 minutes, rather than being in the saddle for more than four hours, eight days on the trot – the challenge that awaited her at the Epic. As a result, she had to make a few changes to the uniquely pink-coloured Specialized S-Works she’s nicknamed ‘The Pink Panther’. An interesting feature of all Courtney’s bikes is the shark emblem on her top tube. She claims…

NOVELTY The first time you encounter something, ‘novelty-signalling neurons’ in your brain activate and form a memory, says Ueli Rutishauser, PhD, an associate professor of neuroscience at Cedars-Sinai Medical Centre in Los Angeles. The second time, they don’t. Novelty also triggers the release of dopamine, which gives you a rush of pleasure. ANTICIPATION “When you travel, you expect to see new things – and often pay for the chance to do it,” says Harvard social psychologist Ellen Langer, PhD. You expect a memorable experience, so you’re more likely to have one. ACHIEVEMENT If you’re travelling to ride, it usually means you’re engaging in a prospective accomplishment – a major ride or a bucket-list trip. “You train for it, you make a big deal out of it, and it sticks with…

I did my first Xterra off-road triathlon in 2006, on a bike I borrowed from a friend. After that, I was hooked on mountain biking. The technical aspect was hard for me, but I was excited to train for something new. To improve, I rode with people who were better than I was. We would stop at tricky sections and re-ride them a few times. One day we came to a big log, a bridge, and then another log. There were six of us, and we all took turns. I was out of my comfort zone, and I fell off. But I had spotters, and it was fun just to do it; I got it on the second or third try. That gave me the confidence to attempt more challenging…

This three-stage workout prepares you to meet the demands of both long and short climbs. The intervals are best performed on a steady climb that’s about a 5 to 8 per cent grade. Warm up for 10 to 15 minutes beforehand, and cool down when you’re done. If you’re new to intervals, go through it just once. After a couple of weeks, you can do it twice, with 10 minutes of easy pedalling between sets. Otherwise, start with two sets. Do this workout once or twice a week on fresh legs. STAGE 1 SIT AND SPIN WHAT IT TRAINS Your aerobic capacity, so you can rely on your cardiovascular system instead of muscling your way to the top, which fatigues you faster. DO IT Shift into a gear that allows…

NO. 01 With shorter stages, fewer summit finishes, and only one individual time trial, it will be harder for four-time champ Chris Froome to dominate the race; so this year’s Tour could be the most unpredictable (and therefore most exciting) we’ve seen in years. – Whit Yost NUMBER 02 ’CAUSE THIS GUY THINKS YOU SHOULD WATCH. Pro racer Taylor Phinney of the EF Education Pro Team, as told to Whit Yost I have really fond memories of chasing the race with my dad [two-time stage winner Davis Phinney] when I was a teenager. I rode a lot of the climbs before the race came through, and felt the energy of all the people partying on the side of the road. I was like, This is sick! I definitely…

How to string the Perfect Roads into the PERFECT ROUTE For 25 years, my job has granted me the privilege of joining and learning about lunch rides and shop rides all around the world, and it is with this context that I claim to have created in my time at Bicycling more iconic, local go-to routes than anyone in history (a claim that admittedly has never been substantiated or challenged). I know what works. Great roads do not guarantee great local routes. A great route is a story. Sometimes it can be a song, but then you have to think about a chorus and how to return to it, and almost always there must be a bridge. A story is simpler: there is a start. Tension rises (the opening climb,…

1 CAMBER Roads are engineered to drain water, so curves are banked (generally about 2 per cent). “Camber gives you the ability to lean more without losing traction, which allows you to ride at higher speeds,” says Chartier. Intersections, however, are typically flat, so you have to turn more slowly. 2 FRICTION “Friction is traction,” says Richard Byrne, founder of the San Diego–based pedal maker Speedplay. “It’s affected by many variables – wet or dry; chip-and spray or asphalt. The more friction, the more you can trust your tyres and push the lean.” 3 SIGHTLINE “The farther you can see, the faster you can ride safely,” says Byrne. If you’re riding on the left-hand side of the road, wide-open right turns are generally the easiest, whereas tight or blind left…

There are more than 400 000 posts under your hashtag. What was the original inspiration? I just wanted to get people to stop and appreciate what’s around them. In 2014, at the end of a cross-country road trip, my friends and I did a ride up Mount Vaca in California. It was a pretty shitty ride, honestly. I got dropped, so I took my time with my point-and-shoot. It started to get cloudy and misty, and there were tons of switchbacks, and foggy, beautiful views. It reminded me of a photographer, Todd Hido, who did a series of landscape photos called ‘Roaming’. I posted the photos and introduced the hashtag when I got home. Show me beautiful roads, show me where you are. Now it’s insane. Do you have a…